THIS SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW CAN BE USED BY PROFESSIONALS TO HELP GUIDE THEIR
ASSESSMENT OF ADOLESCENTS STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL HEALTH. DESIGNED TO TARGET “RED
FLAGS” ABOUT HOW TEENS ARE USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COPE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, THIS
TOOL MAY ASSIST PROFESSIONALS IN IDENTIFYING AREAS THAT MAY NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED
FURTHER. SPECIFICALLY, THE INTERVIEW DELVES INTO THE PATTERN OF USE BY ADOLESCENTS;
THE CONTENT CREATED, “FOLLOWED,” OR “SHARED” AND ITS INFLUENCES ON THEIR PERSONALITY
AND IDENTITY.
THIS TYPE OF WORK HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REACH MORE ADOLESCENTS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH
SERVICES THAT MAY BE OF GREAT BENEFIT TO THEM. SIMILAR INTERVIEWS, COUNSELING
INTERVENTIONS, AND PREVENTATIVE RESOURCES CAN CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THE NEED FOR
RESOURCES RELATED TO SOCIAL MEDIA.
SPECIFICALLY FOR ASSESSMENT PURPOSES, LEWIS, HEATH, MICHAL, AND DUGGAN (2012)
RECOMMENDS SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS LOG THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA USE, HIGHLIGHTING THEIR
THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, AND ACTIONS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER USING SOCIAL MEDIA. NEXT, A SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW CAN BE USED TO ASSESS THE WAY ADOLESCENTS ARE ENGAGING IN
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT. ALSO, THE CLINICIAN MAY DETERMINE THE FREQUENCY, DURATION, AND
TIME OF DAY OF ONLINE ACTIVITIES. THUS, CLINICIANS MAY BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THE FUNCTION
OF THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA USE, POTENTIAL ANTECEDENTS TO USING SOCIAL MEDIA, AND POSSIBLE
HARMS AND BENEFITS OF THE ACTIVITIES.
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS CAN IMPROVE THEIR EFFICACY IN PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
BY BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH THE SOCIAL MEDIA MICROCOSM OF ADOLESCENT CULTURE. SCHOOL
PSYCHOLOGISTS CAN GAIN GREAT INSIGHT INTO HOW TEENS USE AND VALUE SOCIAL MEDIA IN
THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES. LEWIS ET AL. (2012) RECOMMEND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS FAMILIARIZE
THEMSELVES WITH THE COLLOQUIUMS OF SOCIAL MEDIA BECAUSE ENGAGEMENT WITH USERS OF
SOCIAL MEDIA MAY BE DIFFICULT WITHOUT THE REPERTOIRE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
FURTHERMORE, DUGGAN, HEATH, LEWIS, AND BAXTER (2012), RECOMMENDS SCHOOL-BASED
MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE CULTURE AND THEMES OF
SOCIAL MEDIA. THEY SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE ONLINE SUPPORT GROUPS, “WHICH MAY RANGE
FROM EDUCATIONAL AND SUPPORTIVE TO NORMALIZING AND REINFORCING" (DUGGAN ET AL., 2012,
P. 65). ALSO, DUGGAN ET AL. (2012), RECOMMEND BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH THE CONTENT ON
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS WHICH CAN GUIDE ASSESSMENTS OF STUDENTS.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS AN INFLUENCE IN ADOLESCENTS LIVES THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE GOING AWAY
ANYTIME SOON. IN CONCLUSION, ROMER AND RICH ASTUTELY STATED, “ADOLESCENTS TODAY HAVE
GREATER ACCESS TO INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR BODIES, THEIR SELVES, AND THE WORLD IN
WHICH THEY ARE LIVING, ALL OF WHICH MAY LEAD TO EFFECTS NOT SEEN IN THEIR
PREDECESSORS” (Romer & Rich, 2016, P. 92-93).
References
Duggan, J. M. , Heath, N. L. , Lewis, S. P. , & Baxter, A. L. (2012). An examination of the scope and nature of non-suicidal self-injury online activities: implications for school mental health professionals. School Mental Health, 4, 56–67. https: //doi.org/10. 1007/s12310-01 1 -9065-6.
Lewis, S. P. , Heath, N. L. , Michal, N. J. , & Duggan, J. M. (2012). Nonsuicidal self-injury, youth, and the Internet: what mental health professionals need to know. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 6(1 ), 13–22. https: //doi.org/10. 1 186/1753-2000-6-13.
Romer, D. , & Rich, M. (2016). Afterword to the issue "adolescents in the digital age: effects on health and development." Media and Communication, 4. Retrieved from
http: //www.cogitatiopress.com/ojs/index.php/mediaandcommunicati
on/article/view/659
ASSESSMENT OF ADOLESCENTS STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL HEALTH. DESIGNED TO TARGET “RED
FLAGS” ABOUT HOW TEENS ARE USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COPE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, THIS
TOOL MAY ASSIST PROFESSIONALS IN IDENTIFYING AREAS THAT MAY NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED
FURTHER. SPECIFICALLY, THE INTERVIEW DELVES INTO THE PATTERN OF USE BY ADOLESCENTS;
THE CONTENT CREATED, “FOLLOWED,” OR “SHARED” AND ITS INFLUENCES ON THEIR PERSONALITY
AND IDENTITY.
THIS TYPE OF WORK HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REACH MORE ADOLESCENTS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH
SERVICES THAT MAY BE OF GREAT BENEFIT TO THEM. SIMILAR INTERVIEWS, COUNSELING
INTERVENTIONS, AND PREVENTATIVE RESOURCES CAN CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THE NEED FOR
RESOURCES RELATED TO SOCIAL MEDIA.
SPECIFICALLY FOR ASSESSMENT PURPOSES, LEWIS, HEATH, MICHAL, AND DUGGAN (2012)
RECOMMENDS SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS LOG THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA USE, HIGHLIGHTING THEIR
THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, AND ACTIONS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER USING SOCIAL MEDIA. NEXT, A SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW CAN BE USED TO ASSESS THE WAY ADOLESCENTS ARE ENGAGING IN
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT. ALSO, THE CLINICIAN MAY DETERMINE THE FREQUENCY, DURATION, AND
TIME OF DAY OF ONLINE ACTIVITIES. THUS, CLINICIANS MAY BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THE FUNCTION
OF THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA USE, POTENTIAL ANTECEDENTS TO USING SOCIAL MEDIA, AND POSSIBLE
HARMS AND BENEFITS OF THE ACTIVITIES.
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS CAN IMPROVE THEIR EFFICACY IN PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
BY BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH THE SOCIAL MEDIA MICROCOSM OF ADOLESCENT CULTURE. SCHOOL
PSYCHOLOGISTS CAN GAIN GREAT INSIGHT INTO HOW TEENS USE AND VALUE SOCIAL MEDIA IN
THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES. LEWIS ET AL. (2012) RECOMMEND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS FAMILIARIZE
THEMSELVES WITH THE COLLOQUIUMS OF SOCIAL MEDIA BECAUSE ENGAGEMENT WITH USERS OF
SOCIAL MEDIA MAY BE DIFFICULT WITHOUT THE REPERTOIRE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
FURTHERMORE, DUGGAN, HEATH, LEWIS, AND BAXTER (2012), RECOMMENDS SCHOOL-BASED
MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE CULTURE AND THEMES OF
SOCIAL MEDIA. THEY SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE ONLINE SUPPORT GROUPS, “WHICH MAY RANGE
FROM EDUCATIONAL AND SUPPORTIVE TO NORMALIZING AND REINFORCING" (DUGGAN ET AL., 2012,
P. 65). ALSO, DUGGAN ET AL. (2012), RECOMMEND BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH THE CONTENT ON
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS WHICH CAN GUIDE ASSESSMENTS OF STUDENTS.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS AN INFLUENCE IN ADOLESCENTS LIVES THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE GOING AWAY
ANYTIME SOON. IN CONCLUSION, ROMER AND RICH ASTUTELY STATED, “ADOLESCENTS TODAY HAVE
GREATER ACCESS TO INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR BODIES, THEIR SELVES, AND THE WORLD IN
WHICH THEY ARE LIVING, ALL OF WHICH MAY LEAD TO EFFECTS NOT SEEN IN THEIR
PREDECESSORS” (Romer & Rich, 2016, P. 92-93).
References
Duggan, J. M. , Heath, N. L. , Lewis, S. P. , & Baxter, A. L. (2012). An examination of the scope and nature of non-suicidal self-injury online activities: implications for school mental health professionals. School Mental Health, 4, 56–67. https: //doi.org/10. 1007/s12310-01 1 -9065-6.
Lewis, S. P. , Heath, N. L. , Michal, N. J. , & Duggan, J. M. (2012). Nonsuicidal self-injury, youth, and the Internet: what mental health professionals need to know. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 6(1 ), 13–22. https: //doi.org/10. 1 186/1753-2000-6-13.
Romer, D. , & Rich, M. (2016). Afterword to the issue "adolescents in the digital age: effects on health and development." Media and Communication, 4. Retrieved from
http: //www.cogitatiopress.com/ojs/index.php/mediaandcommunicati
on/article/view/659